Life Sciences Commons^™

Molecular Measurement Of Toxicity In Fish; Case Examples And Policy Implications, Jessica A. Freedman

Senior Honors Projects

Stormwater and oil are common urban contaminants that can be harmful to fish species. One way of recognizing exposed and impaired fish is by monitoring gene expression and gene induction. This study focused on the identification and validation of reference genes for measuring contaminant-induced changes in gene expression due to urban influence. In this study, reference genes (which are genes used to normalize data and remain consistent in varying exposures regardless of organism and tissue type) were established. Six genes were identified as reference genes (ef1a, wdtc1, mtm1, spop, rxrba and tuba1) from a longer list of potential …

Regulatory Paradigms For Modern Breeding, Drew L. Kershen, Wayne A. Parrott

Drew L. Kershen

Modern breeding, based upon molecular biology using genetic information, has made rapid advances. Breeders using rDNA techniques properly can think of this technique as traditional biotechnology. Within the past ten years, breeders have begun to use newer techniques [site-directed nuclease techniques (SDNs), RNAi, and synthetic biology] to create and to develop plants and animals with desired genetic traits. In this chapter printed in the NABC 26 Report (May 2015), the authors address the question: What is the appropriate regulatory paradigm for modern breeding?

Finding Fault?: Exploring Legal Duties To Return Incidental Findings In Genomic Research, Elizabeth R. Pike, Karen H. Rothenberg, Benjamin E. Berkman

Faculty Scholarship

The use of whole genome sequencing in biomedical research is expected to produce dramatic advances in human health. The increasing use of this powerful, data-rich new technology in research, however, will inevitably give rise to incidental findings (IFs), findings with individual health or reproductive significance that are beyond the aims of the particular research, and the related questions of whether and to what extent researchers have an ethical obligation to return IFs. Many have concluded that researchers have an ethical obligation to return some findings in some circumstances, but have provided vague or context-dependent approaches to determining which IFs must …

The Empire Of Cancer: Gene Patents And Cancer Voices, Matthew Rimmer

Matthew Rimmer

In his book, The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee writes a history of cancer — ‘It is a chronicle of an ancient disease — once a clandestine, “whispered-about” illness — that has metamorphosed into a lethal shape-shifting entity imbued with such penetrating metaphorical, medical, scientific, and political potency that cancer is often described as the defining plague of our generation’.Increasingly, an important theme in the history of cancer is the role of law, particularly in the field of intellectual property law. It is striking that a number of contemporary policy debates over intellectual property and public health have concerned …

When Should Judges Admit Or Compel Genetic Tests?, Diane Hoffmann, Karen Rothenberg

Diane Hoffmann

No abstract provided.

Consent To The Use Of Stored Dna For Genetics Research: A Survey Of Attitudes In The Jewish Population, Marc D. Schwartz, Karen H. Rothenberg, Linda Joseph, Judith Benkendorf, Caryn Lerman

Karen H. Rothenberg

No abstract provided.

Judging Genes: Implications Of The Second Generation Of Genetic Tests In The Courtroom, Diane E. Hoffmann, Karen H. Rothenberg

Karen H. Rothenberg

The use of DNA tests for identification has revolutionized court proceedings in criminal and paternity cases. Now, requests by litigants to admit or compel a second generation of genetic tests – tests to confirm or predict genetic diseases and conditions – threaten to affect judicial decision-making in many more contexts. Unlike DNA tests for identification, these second generation tests may provide highly personal health and behavioral information about individuals and their relatives and will pose new challenges for trial court judges. This article reports on an original empirical study of how judges analyze these requests and uses the study results …

Social Implications Of Genetic Testing, Karen H. Rothenberg

Karen H. Rothenberg

This paper examines the social implications of predictive genetic testing and its impact on the insurance industry. Although the Human Genome Project has the potential to improve the health of our nation, it also may serve as a means of highlighting genetic differences among individuals and ethnic groups. Thus, if we are to reach the full promise of the Project, society must address the public's fears of genetic discrimination in insurance and employment context. Following an analysis of state and federal legislation on genetic privacy and discrimination, the paper concludes with a challenge to the insurance industry to work with …

Genetic Information And The Workplace: Legislative Approaches And Policy Challenges, Karen H. Rothenberg, Barbara Fuller, Mark Rothstein, Troy Duster, Mary Jo Ellis Kahn, Rita Cunningham, Beth Fine, Kathy Hudson, Mary-Claire King, Patricia Murphy, Gary Swergold, Francis Collins

Karen H. Rothenberg

No abstract provided.

The Scarlet Gene: Behavioral Genetics, Criminal Law, And Racial And Ethnic Stigma, Karen H. Rothenberg, Alice Wang

Karen H. Rothenberg

Imagine that a scientist from the state university asks you and your family to participate in a study on a particular gene variant associated with alcoholism. The project focuses on your ethnic group, the Tracy Islanders, who have a higher incidence of alcoholism, as well as a higher incidence of the gene variant, than the general population. You will not be informed whether you have the gene variant, but your participation in the study might help scientists develop drugs to help individuals control their addiction to alcohol. You have a family history of alcoholism, and you are concerned that your …

When Should Judges Admit Or Compel Genetic Tests?, Diane E. Hoffmann, Karen H. Rothenberg

Karen H. Rothenberg

No abstract provided.

Cancer Genetic Susceptibility Testing: Ethical And Policy Implications For Future Research And Clinical Practice, Benjamin S. Wilfond, Karen H. Rothenberg, Elizabeth J. Thomson, Caryn Lerman

Karen H. Rothenberg

No abstract provided.

Toward A Framework Of Mutualism: The Jewish Community In Genetics Research, Karen H. Rothenberg, Amy B. Rutkin

Karen H. Rothenberg

No abstract provided.

The Unblazed Trail: Bioinformatics And The Protection Of Genetic Knowledge, Lawrence M. Sung

Lawrence M. Sung

No abstract provided.

The Poetry Of Genetics: On The Pitfalls Of Popularizing Science, Anita L. Allen

All Faculty Scholarship

The role genetic inheritance plays in the way human beings look and behave is a question about the biology of human sexual reproduction, one that scientists connected with the Human Genome Project dashed to answer before the close of the 20th century. This is also a question about politics, and, it turns out poetry, because, as the example of Lucretius shows, poetry is an ancient tool for the popularization of science. "Popularization" is a good word for successful efforts to communicate elite science to non-scientists in non-technical languages and media. According to prominent sociobiologist E.O. Wilson, "sexual dominance is a …

Bad Nature, Bad Nurture, And Testimony Regarding Maoa And Slc6a4 Genotyping In Murder Trials, Nita A. Farahany, William Bernet, Cindy L. Vnencak-Jones, Stephen A. Montgomery

Faculty Scholarship

Recent research—in which subjects were studied longitudinally from childhood until adulthood—has started to clarify how a child’s environment and genetic makeup interact to create a violent adolescent or adult. For example, male subjects who were born with a particular allele of the monoamine oxidase A gene and also were maltreated as children had a much greater likelihood of manifesting violent antisocial behavior as adolescents and adults. Also, individuals who were born with particular alleles of the serotonin transporter gene and also experienced multiple stressful life events were more likely to manifest serious depression and suicidality. This research raises the question …

The Scarlet Gene: Behavioral Genetics, Criminal Law, And Racial And Ethnic Stigma, Karen H. Rothenberg, Alice Wang

Faculty Scholarship

Imagine that a scientist from the state university asks you and your family to participate in a study on a particular gene variant associated with alcoholism. The project focuses on your ethnic group, the Tracy Islanders, who have a higher incidence of alcoholism, as well as a higher incidence of the gene variant, than the general population. You will not be informed whether you have the gene variant, but your participation in the study might help scientists develop drugs to help individuals control their addiction to alcohol. You have a family history of alcoholism, and you are concerned that your …

Behavioural Genetics In Criminal Cases: Past, Present And Future, Nita A. Farahany, William Bernet

Faculty Scholarship

Researchers studying human behavioral genetics have made significant scientific progress in enhancing our understanding of the relative contributions of genetics and the environment in observed variations in human behavior. Quickly outpacing the advances in the science are its applications in the criminal justice system. Already, human behavioral genetics research has been introduced in the U.S. criminal justice system, and its use will only become more prevalent. This essay discusses the recent historical use of behavioral genetics in criminal cases, recent advances in two gene variants of particular interest in the criminal law, MAOA and SLC6A4, the recent expert testimony on …

When Should Judges Admit Or Compel Genetic Tests?, Diane E. Hoffmann, Karen H. Rothenberg

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Day 2: Thursday, 18 August 2005: Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, Bob Muth, Tom Pitts, Dan Luecke

Endangered Species Act Congressional Field Tour (August 17-19)

58 pages (includes illustrations and maps).

Contains references.

The Unblazed Trail: Bioinformatics And The Protection Of Genetic Knowledge, Lawrence M. Sung

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Consent To The Use Of Stored Dna For Genetics Research: A Survey Of Attitudes In The Jewish Population, Marc D. Schwartz, Karen H. Rothenberg, Linda Joseph, Judith Benkendorf, Caryn Lerman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gap Between Life Insurer And Consumer In The Genetic Testing Era: The Rf Proposal, Christopher M. Keefer

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Cancer Genetic Susceptibility Testing: Ethical And Policy Implications For Future Research And Clinical Practice, Benjamin S. Wilfond, Karen H. Rothenberg, Elizabeth J. Thomson, Caryn Lerman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Genetic Information And The Workplace: Legislative Approaches And Policy Challenges, Karen H. Rothenberg, Barbara Fuller, Mark Rothstein, Troy Duster, Mary Jo Ellis Kahn, Rita Cunningham, Beth Fine, Kathy Hudson, Mary-Claire King, Patricia Murphy, Gary Swergold, Francis Collins

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Book Review, Allan M. Wheatcraft

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the following book: SHELDON KRIMSKY, BIOTECHNICS AND SOCIETY: THE RISE OF INDUSTRIAL GENETICS. (Praeger 1991) [280 pp.] Bibliography, figures, index, list of acronyms used, tables. LC: 90-23214, ISBN: 0-275-93860-3. [Paper $17.95. P.O.B. 5007, Westport CT 06881.]